How we doing with our resolutions?

So reading that title either made you cringe or smile. According to statistics more of us cringed than smiled. Hopefully, however, we have achieved or at least are still working towards some of the goals we set for ourselves 4 months ago?!? Maybe? Ok, I’ll go first…my initial reaction was to cringe but then I took a second to think about it and realized I am not totally unhappy with how I have been holding myself accountable to my resolutions. I am actually really happy with how I am doing with my workout programs and sticking to a healthy meal-plan so that warrants a smile, right?? In other areas….not so much but there is still plenty of time left in the year! So let’s begin by focusing on the smile worthy accomplishments first…

A few weeks back I completed my second full program that was 80 days long and pretty intense! It was a bit more mentally challenging for me than the first one I completed, LIIFT4, (and have since completed once more because I loved it so much!) so getting to the end of it made me feel even better than I could have even imagined. I think that was in part because the person I was a year ago would have probably gotten a few days into it and quit. This program pushed me out of my comfort zone and the old me would probably have thrown in the towel because it was too hard and I didn’t think I could see it through to the end. The new me said “Suck it up and get it done princess”. I like this new me…she’s kind of a badass! 😊

Doing something you think you can’t is one of the best feelings out there you guys. I was actually taken aback by just how good it felt to get to the end of that program in large part because I realized I hadn’t been proud of myself in a long, long time. I am not a crier. I just don’t cry a lot. A couple times a year maybe and usually that is when I am really tired and something happens to where I am slightly inconvenienced or I see a sad story about an animal on TV. I actually teared up when I got to Day 80 y’all. Thankfully I was alone in my living room so no one was there to see it, and I will deny it if asked, but I definitely got a little teary eyed that I had accomplished a goal that challenged me quite a bit both mentally and physically.

Completing that program did help me achieve some more of the physical goals I have been working toward but more than that it made me realize how much mentally stronger I have become over the past year. Another really cool thing that happened when I achieved this goal, was I got refocused on the other goals I had set for myself at the beginning of the year. I suddenly felt re-energized and inspired to do better in the areas that I had let slide a bit such as personal development and reading and writing more. This also got me to thinking about how to better tackle those resolutions that I may have set with the best of intentions but have since put aside as something I keep meaning to get around to doing.

Maybe if you are like me and some of your resolutions are still sitting there without a check mark next to them, it would help to rethink our approach. Sometimes I think we set out to accomplish really important things but fall short because the goals we set are too vague or lack an actual plan of attack. For instance, maybe try some of these changes:

Instead of saying,“I want to workout more” – Come up with a realistic number of times during the week you are willing to dedicate to a workout session. Maybe start with 2 days a week and if you can hit that number several weeks in a row, go to 3 or 4. It might also help to say you are going to work out for a specific number of minutes a day. A good place to start is 20-30 minutes a day. Each workout in the current program I am following, 21 Day Fix, is only 30 minutes and believe me I am sweating and my heart rate is up the whole time…you can burn a lot of calories in just 30 minutes if you do it right! Who doesn’t have 30 minutes a day to work on your goals?!?

Instead of saying,“I want to lose weight” –Try holding yourself accountable to a specific number of pounds you would like to shed over the next six months or the year or how many pounds per week you want to lose. Having a goal weight in mind makes it a more concrete aspiration and not just a nice idea.

Instead of saying,“I want to eat healthier” – Start with a simple swap such as bringing your lunch to work a couple days a week instead of eating out. Another idea is to pick one thing in your diet that isn’t all that healthy to give up the first couple weeks such as soda or fast food. If all goes well, find another swap to make. In my case, I cut out the twice daily sugary Starbucks drinks I was consuming every day and added the superfood shakes I swear by today. What a huge difference that one made y’all, for my health and wallet!!

Instead of saying, “I want to be happier/less stressed” – Think of things you enjoy doing or activities that are stress-reliving for you and make a plan do them more often. For instance, I have found that attending a Pilates or Yoga class once a week really helps with my stress levels and overall happiness so I plan a day a week that I will attend a class and hold myself to it. Another idea is to try journaling or keeping a daily gratitude list. I use my Happy Planner to write down daily things I am grateful for or looking forward to and that has made a huge difference for me in terms of being happy for all the little things! 😊

Instead of saying,“I will write more”– Again put an actual number figure to this goal. Like I mentioned earlier, this was a goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year that I haven’t felt I have lived up to. I got really busy with work, was traveling some and you know…life happened aka. Excuses. So for me to start refocusing on this goal, I am going try to write for an hour a day moving forward in hopes of posting once a week which was my original resolution. Same with reading…

Instead of just saying,“I am going to read more”– Again put an actual time amount on this sort of goal. I have actually begun reading for an hour before I go to bed at night instead of sitting in front of the TV mindlessly scrolling through social media. I remember now how much I like reading for pleasure and am so happy to be doing it again. I have finished three books over the last couple weeks and now I look forward to this time every night as unplugged, me time. Bonus: I have found I am sleeping a little better too not having screen time right before bed!!

Daily Superfood Shake!

Happy PLanner for Dialy Gratitude!

80 Day Obsession Results!

Personal Development and More Reading Time!

Qualifying and/or quantifying our resolutions and in the process making them more tangible might help us get back on track with achieving some of the ones that we have let fall to the wayside. Any time you have a goal without a plan the likelihood of failure seems a lot greater in my opinion. Keep your goals specific, attainable and well-thought out. Also, keeping yourself accountable by writing down your progress either daily, weekly or even monthly tends to be a great motivator as well as a good way to keep track of where you are in terms of achieving your goals. So let’s refocus, reenergize and crush the rest of this year y’all!! #goaldigger

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Published by FitAmbitiousBlonde

Hi everyone! My name is Beth and I am on a journey to improve my life through better eating and being more active! I hope my story can help someone else who may also be struggling to live their best life! Come get healthy with me!
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I have managed to accomplish a few of my goals here recently but I am really setting the bar high this year so they are major goals! Great post Congrats on accomplishing your 80 day program and hitting fitness goals.

I have done well with my list of goals. I have lost 40lbs since Christmas (total of 110lbs over the last 24 months) I am in a size 10 from a size 24! I have been able to walk our dog every day for 1 hour (very rainy days are out). I have also started the blog I have talked about for a year (https://mycrazyveganglutenfreelife.wordpress.com) and I “met” Beth through that blog. The encouragement and lift I get from her posts has really helped me keep everything in perspective. I feel the next year will be fantastic for me! I look forward to more uplifting messages!

Really, it this becomes a lifestyle, then we kind of quit needing resolutions. We just keep doing what we’re doing, right? But I hit a lifetime lifting goal today, and at 44, I’m excited. Ten years ago I thought all my PR’s were long past. So it’s gonna be a good year.

You left us with some great advice in this post 🙂 2019 is the first year where I’ve managed to stick with my goals until April and you’re right – it’s because they were far too vague before! Being more specific definitely helps to keep you accountable.

As you do well pointed out, this is a day by day journey that needs to be scheduled into my life! I can identify with not being happy with myself and under my current circumstances it is perpetuating a habit isolation and detachment from being happy! I have made some major changes over the last 15 months but I want so much more when it comes to my physical appearance and the feeling that I am playing a game of protracted suicide with a horrible diet and no exercise. I was visiting some friends yesterday in NYC and I was watching and listening to my freind explain how he has totally turned his diet around. Chomping on his big bowl of salad and telling all his nutritional standards put me in a who gives a shit mode! So there I was bragging that I can’t remember the last time I had a salad or a piece of fruit. He seemed shocked but not suprised. After I heard myself say such nonsense out loud I knew that a change had. To be made! My wife might have thrown me in the trash but I still have 3 kids under 16 and at 55 I feel like I really need to stop dreaming and start acting. Your comments and advise has provided me with another reminder of what I am not doinng🔥keep them coming and thanks

Just start out with some small changes. That is how I got started and I really think it is the best way to go about it. Eat a salad for lunch once or twice a week. Swap out soda if you drink it for water. Just small things can really get the ball rollign on a new lifestyle. It seems overwhelming now, but I promise you once you start it will all fall into place. Keep me posted on how you are doing and if I can offer any other advice about what I did or am doing. Thanks for reading!! 🙂

I’ve made it a policy to not take on new clients if they are currently involved in “New Years Resolutions”. I try to only take on folks that are “prepared” for training that will help change their ways and lives! From the past, I have learned that these folks are only prepared for one thing, “quitting”!

[…] So reading that title either made you cringe or smile. According to statistics more of us cringed than smiled. Hopefully, however, we have achieved or at least are still working towards some of the goals we set for ourselves 4 months ago?!? Maybe? Ok, I’ll go first…my initial reaction was to cringe but then I… — Read on fitambitiousblonde.com/2019/04/10/how-we-doing-with-our-resolutions/ […]

Establishing clear goals is such a great tip! I’ve been going to the gym 4x a week since January, the longest streak I’ve ever maintained. Working out “more” never cut it for me, I need something quantifiable to let me know if I was living up to my goal.

Really great tips. I am trying to write down on a weekly basis now what I want to achieve the week and to see when I have commitments so I can schedule around them the things I want to do eg. going to the gym. We always need SMART goals.